The Wheatstone English Concertina in Victorian England

This is the first comprehensive study of the Wheatstone English concertina and its music, players, and audiences in Victorian England - at its height of popularity. Developed by the physicist Sir Charles Wheatstone about 1830, the instrument quickly found a home on the leading concert stages and in upper-class salons. It attracted such composers as Macfarren, Benedict, Barnett, and Molique, who supplied its repertory with concertos, character pieces, and chamber works, while its two great virtuosos, Giulio Regondi and Richard Blagrove, drew the plaudits from audiences and critics alike. Illustrated with music examples throughout, this study also contains a unique Appendix containing five pieces written specially for the instrument by the composers of the day.